MUMBAI: It was one of those soggy Sunday evenings, monsoon mayhem outside, and kids along with their parents, would storm towards their nearest stationery shop as if exam season was a national emergency to buy the good old Navneet Digest, the cheat sheet without the cheating.

For generations across Maharashtra and Gujarat, Navneet wasn’t just a brand, it was the revision whisperer, the syllabus shrink, and every student’s pre-exam partner-in-cram. It didn’t just fill pages, it filled panic-shaped gaps in every school kid’s memory.

Navneet Digest –

But somewhere between the fading charm of Doordarshan-era jingles and the algorithmic assault of edtech startups, Navneet had gone quiet. Readers would still remember their ads from the ’90s and early 2000s—TV, newspaper, radio. It all flipped the page when Devish Gala, scion of the illustrious Gala family and head of branding at Navneet Education, stepped into the frame. A digital native with ink in his veins and WiFi in his soul, Gala grew up straddling textbooks and tech toys. Now, he’s rewriting Navneet’s brand story with a millennial flair, giving the staid education giant a much-needed syllabus upgrade. He’s not just playing the branding game, he’s setting the curriculum.

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Founded in 1959, Navneet has long enjoyed a rock-solid presence in India’s academic publishing and stationery market, especially in its home turfs of Maharashtra and Gujarat. With a consolidated revenue of Rs 1,693 crore in FY24, the company is now flexing its marketing muscle, rolling out campaign after campaign post-2019, each more eye-catching than the last.

Over a breezy lunch at the brand’s plush campus, Indiantelevision.com’s Rohin Ramesh caught up with him in a glassy boardroom that oozes new-age ambition. He’s as comfortable talking about campaign metrics as he is reminiscing about that old-school Navneet nostalgia. Armed with a digital-first mindset and a firm grasp of brand storytelling, he has been spearheading Navneet’s makeover, without alienating its loyalists.

In a land obsessed with marks and where print isn’t dead, Navneet Education is proving that even a seasoned publishing house can teach an old dog new tricks – especially when that dog is an AI. While the rest of India’s education sector is chasing digital rainbows and AI-powered unicorns, Navneet Education is firmly planting its flag in a different kind of digital-first future. One where the trusty book remains king, but with a seriously smart sidekick.

For decades, Navneet has been the quiet force behind countless Indian success stories, their digests and textbooks forming the backbone of academic ambition. But as Gala reveals, their vision extends far beyond just ink and paper. Two to three years ago, a “very conscious decision” was made: social responsibility is just as crucial as business growth.

“Tr for Teacher” campaign isn’t your average pat on the back. Since its inception in 2022, Navneet’s success has been built on teacher feedback. “The teachers thought it was their book,” Gala explains, leading to strong recommendations. This campaign is the company’s loud and proud “thank you” – acknowledging teachers as their “biggest stakeholder” and fostering a sense of pride within the teaching community. It’s about giving back to the bedrock of Navneet’s business, ensuring teachers feel valued and equipped with resources like sample copies and resource books.

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Tr. for Teachers-

Leveraging their expertise in education and a surprising tie-in with their existing medical social responsibility efforts, Navneet in their more recent campaign in 2025, ‘Color Blindness Book’ tackles the colour deficiency disorder in children. A simple test, often incorporated into pre-primary books, allows for early, discreet identification. This ingenious approach ensures that as schools and parents unknowingly use their products, a crucial health check is seamlessly integrated. It’s about proactive care, allowing parents to “quietly go to the doctor” for corrective measures.

Colour Blindness Book-

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This upcoming campaign in 2027 aims to shift focus to parents, particularly mothers. Gala, a new father himself, observes a societal trend where despite calls for equality, the mother still plays a “much larger role” in a child’s early education and nurturing. Navneet wants to challenge the stereotype of the overburdened mother by showcasing her “key interest” in the child’s education, even amidst household responsibilities. It’s a nod to the silent, tireless efforts of mothers, aiming to empower and acknowledge their vital contribution.

When it comes to emotional intelligence in educational content, Navneet isn’t fumbling for fluffy after-school specials. It is aligning with the New Education Policy’s emphasis on practical learning. This means activity-based learning and inter-subject connectivity. Think counting cows in math, then learning about farm animals in science, and perhaps penning a story about them in English – all designed to give a holistic understanding and engage a child’s emotions. It’s about making learning a lived experience, not just rote-by-hearting.

In a content-crazed, digitally-disrupting India, how does the “good old Navneet Digest” survive? Gala is unequivocal: “Paper book, paper, pencil, pen, all of that is going nowhere.” Digital solutions, he stresses, are purely supplementary. Navneet seamlessly integrates QR codes into its books, offering animated videos, quizzes, and question papers at a scan. It has even got “smart books” – digital versions of their content accessible on various devices, complete with highlighting and note-taking features. It’s always “book first, technology next.”

Perhaps the bookmaker’s most audacious move is Navneet AI. While global giants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini offer generic answers, Navneet has taken a different path. The company has spent “four to six months” teaching its AI the nuances of the Indian education system, from CBSE to state boards, the weightage of questions in exams, and the accepted language of definitions. It has also claimed to give “100 per cent accurate and quality response based on Navneet’s content.”

This bespoke AI empowers teachers to create powerpoint presentations, 3D models, and quizzes in minutes, all tailored to the Indian context. If an answer isn’t in Navneet’s extensive content, the AI pulls from “fully trustworthy” external websites. It’s a game-changer for educators, transforming preparation time from hours to mere minutes.

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While some of the other chaps in the EdTech playground are still fiddling with their abacuses, Navneet’s already teaching quantum physics with their cutting-edge ‘Navneet Nxt’ digital platforms while S Chand & Co. and Repro India might be trying to catch a glimpse of their homework, Navneet so far is staying ahead.

India’s EdTech market is expecting a colossal leap from a hefty $7.5 billion to a staggering $29 billion by 2030, according to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Grant Thornton Bharat. In a market bustling with stationery suppliers and textbook peddlers, Navneet isn’t just selling pens and paper, they’re crafting entire learning universes. While Kokuyo Camlin might offer a decent pencil, Navneet’s got the whole kit and caboodle, from brain-busting guides to digital wizardry that leaves the others looking a bit analog.

It makes sense. While the ICSE and IB crowd might be sipping almond lattes and learning through iPads, most of India’s academic fuel is still being burned in CBSE classrooms.

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